Ben Williams came to Buffalo as a historic figure.  As the first Black student-athlete to play varsity football at Ole Miss—earning the affectionate nickname "Gentle Ben" off the field—Williams (3rd round, 78th overall in 1876) translated his collegiate dominance directly into a ten-year career as an anchor on the Bills' defensive front.

Williams possessed a physical, leveraged style of play that allowed him to line up across multiple spots on the defensive line. Operating primarily as a left defensive end, his defining trait on tape was his lateral quickness and upper-body strength; he could shed double-teams on run plays and shoot interior B-gaps to disrupt timing in opposing backfields.

Williams was a fundamental piece of head coach Chuck Knox's early-1980s playoff teams. He produced his most prolific pass-rushing season in 1980, registering an impressive 12.0 sacks (along with four forced fumbles) as Buffalo won the AFC East title. He followed that up with a 10.0-sack campaign in 1981, helping lead the Bills back to the postseason.

During the strike-shortened 1982 season, Williams started all nine games and recorded 4.0 sacks, earning his first career Pro Bowl selection. He bounced back with another 10.0-sack year in 1983, marking his third season with double-digit sack production.

Williams played all ten of his NFL seasons exclusively in Buffalo (1976–1985) and had 52 sacks for the organization.